Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and potential need for further examination or medical opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation, or a link between these conditions and his period of service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine and hand conditions, prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for Bell's palsy, hypertension, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, hearing loss, bilateral knee arthritis, and gout were all denied as the conditions are not shown to have developed during active service or due to an established event, injury, or disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, heart disability, and hypertension as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the previously denied claim. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a heart disability or hypertension incurred in service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including left side rib injury, bilateral wrist injury, back injury, left hip condition, left lower extremity condition, and hypertension. The decision found no current disability related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to PTSD and ischemic heart disease, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical development.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension are granted as presumptively related to his service in Vietnam, including exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent prior to July 27, 2011. The Board found that the disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas. TDIU was granted for the period between June 1, 2011 and July 26, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, hypertension, kidney transplant, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities have been denied as there is no credible evidence that he served in Vietnam or was exposed to herbicides during his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's condition was an emergent medical emergency, and payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred on November 15, 2009 at CRMC is warranted.

The Veteran's claims for a clothing allowance, dental disability, and hypertension are being remanded. The claim to reopen his sleep apnea is also pending. The Board will schedule the Veteran for a hearing at the RO in North Little Rock.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, hypertension, and sleep apnea are all service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain further information about his exposure to ionizing radiation during service and to consider the claims for service connection. The TDIU claim will be deferred until the service connection claims are resolved.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a chronic low back disability and hypertension, both for accrued benefits purposes. The evidence submitted since the last denial was not considered material as it did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the underlying claims.,Service connection for hypertension could not be established as there is no evidence showing that the condition was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional records and further development.

The Board denied service connection for postoperative residuals of nasopharyngeal cancer and coronary artery disease with hypertension, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or a link to service. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange was not considered due to lack of evidence of service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA examination and additional medical records, as well as to determine the nature and etiology of his hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and erectile dysfunction are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.